ES2671889T3 - Container - Google Patents

Abstract

A container comprising: a rigid wall portion (12a) with an opening (15); a flexible wall portion (12b) having a corresponding opening (17) coupled to the opening of the rigid wall portion (12a), said flexible wall portion (12b) being sufficiently flexible to bend within the rigid wall portion (12a); and a support member (20) coupled to said rigid wall portion (12a) configured to provide stability to the container; wherein said rigid wall portion (12a) and said flexible wall portion (12b) together form a structure configured to contain fluids; characterized in that said rigid wall portion (12a) is configured to stack inside a rigid wall portion (12a) of a second container while the flexible wall portion (12b) is in the folded position thereof.

Description

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

DESCRIPTION

Container Technological field

The present disclosed subject matter refers to a container in general, and in particular a fluid container, such as a bottle.

Background

Containers, such as bottles and other forms of packages configured to contain fluids and the like are well known and widely used in the market. Disposable containers and containers for vending machines or automatic refueling machines are also known. There are many examples of containers that have a folding portion thus allowing a significant reduction in the storage space required when the container is empty.

EP 2266893 for example discloses a storage vessel that is provided with a tube-shaped storage portion formed of a resin having an extraction opening that allows a stored substance to be aspirated into a central area on one end side. , and a circular opening on the other end side, and a bag-shaped storage portion that is welded along the circular opening of the tube-shaped storage portion, enters into the shaped storage portion of tube to be able to come into close contact with the inner surface of the tube-shaped storage portion.

US 7059487 discloses a collapsible semi-rigid container that includes portions of the neck and lower wall and a peripheral side wall that extends between the neck and the lower wall. The side wall includes a rigid upper portion and a flexible lower portion. The lower portion of the side wall is applied to the upper portion reducing the internal volume of the container.

US 6568570 discloses a package for a pasta product provided in the form of a closed and flexible storage container having a sealable outlet opening at the bottom. The opening is adapted for connection to a measuring device that transports the product using negative pressure, allowing substantially complete emptying of the container. For this purpose, the flexible storage container is configured with a thinner wall in its upper section than in its lower section.

WO0126979 discloses a collapsible container that is provided to contain adhesives and sealants. The container is formed of material that is permeable to atmospheric oxygen to provide containment of anaerobic adhesives. The container includes a generally cylindrical container body that defines an interior to retain the adhesive. The container body includes a first container section that defines a first portion of the interior and a second container section that defines a second portion of the interior. The first and second container sections are joined together around a joint. The second container section includes a cylindrical side wall that gradually tapers inwardly from said joint to allow the second container section to be easily deformed foldably in the first container section.

JP2001225829 discloses a container according to the preamble of claim 1.

General description

The presently disclosed subject matter provides a container according to claim 1. The support member may include three legs coupled to the rigid portion. The legs can extend along the flexible portion, providing stability to it. In the folded position a plurality of bottles can be stacked inside each other, while the flexible portion of each of them extends into the rigid portion thereof. The rigid portion may include a diameter that is slightly gradually increasing from the neck portion at one end of the rigid portion toward the opening at the other end thereof.

The bottle may include a filling slit and a drinking opening, the filling slot may include a filling valve.

As used herein, the term "container" includes bottles, packages, or any other form of packaging configured to contain fluids, such as water, beverages, wine, milk, kitchen materials, cleaning materials or gases of any type.

The rigid portion may include a neck portion that has a mouthpiece.

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

The rigid portion can be made of resin material. The resin material can be selected from the group consisting of high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, treated fluorine, post consumer resin, K resin and bioplastics.

The container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible portion is configured to bend within the rigid portion. The flexible portion can be made of a flexible thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic materials can be selected from the group consisting of polyolefin, polypropylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, polyamide, PVC, PMMA, BOPP and POPET.

The corresponding opening of the flexible portion can be welded to an inner surface of the rigid portion.

The rigid portion may further comprise a skirt disposed around the outer periphery of the opening and having a lower portion protruding outward in which the periphery of the corresponding opening of the flexible portion can bend outwardly and downwardly and can be welded to the inner surface of the skirt.

The flexible portion can be selectively arranged in a bent position in which the flexible portion can be disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the rigid portion, and an unfolded position, in which the flexible portion extends downwardly from the opening outside the portion. rigid therefore occupying the interior volume of the container.

The support member can be configured to allow the container to stand in a straight position. The support member may comprise three legs, coupled to the rigid portion. The support structure can be integrally formed with the rigid portion. The legs can extend from the skirt. The support structure can be detachably attached to the rigid portion. The skirt includes a ring portion configured to be disposed on the outer periphery of the opening of the rigid portion.

The diameter of the ring portion can be configured to apply internal radial compression forces thus maintaining the coupling between the support structure and the rigid portion.

The container may further comprise a defined flange around the outer circumference of the rigid portion and configured to thereby allow the container to be grasped by a robotic arm.

The rigid portion is configured to stack inside a rigid portion of a second container while the flexible portion is in the folded position thereof.

The rigid portion may include a diameter that gradually increases from a neck portion thereof towards said opening so that a rigid portion of a second container can be disposed therein.

The support structure can be configured to fasten said flexible portion to said rigid portion.

The support structure may include a pressure coupling arrangement configured to couple it to the rigid portion.

The opening of the rigid portion may be provided with a coupling portion defined around the circumference thereof and configured to receive therein a corresponding coupling portion defined in said support structure in which said corresponding coupling portion may be configured for snap coupling with the coupling portion. Each of said three legs includes an outwardly extending extension defined at the lower end thereof configured to provide stability to the support structure. Each of said three legs can be coupled to a base member disposed in the lower part thereof.

The base member may have a ring shape having a slit in the center thereof whose diameter may be greater than the diameter of the rigid portion. The base member can be detachably attached to said three legs. The base member may further include a concave plate disposed substantially in the center thereof, being configured to hold a lower end of said flexible portion when it is in the deployed position.

The flexible portion may be disposed in the upper portion of the container when it is disposed in an upright position, while the rigid portion may be disposed in the lower portion thereof. The flexible portion can be configured to selectively bend within the rigid portion. The flexible portion may include a rigid neck portion engaged there. The rigid neck portion may be configured to be disposed at the bottom of the rigid portion when the container may be in the folded position thereof.

The container may further comprise a filling valve. The filling valve can be arranged at the bottom of the rigid portion and the extension can be configured to engage an extraction mechanism.

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

The support structure may be a cylindrical member or a conical member extending from the rigid portion to the lower end of the flexible portion, so that when it is in the unfolded position the container can be arranged in the upright position, supported by the member cylindrical or conical member.

Brief description of the drawings

To better understand the subject matter disclosed in this document and to exemplify how it can be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting example only, in reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1A is a side view of a bottle in the deployed position according to an example of the subject matter currently disclosed;

Fig. 1B is a front sectional view taken along lines B-B of the bottle of Fig. 1A;

Fig. 1C is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the bottle in Fig. 1A;

Fig. 2A is a side view of the bottle of Fig. 1A in the folded position;

Fig. 2B is a front sectional view taken along lines B-B of the bottle in Fig. 2A;

Fig. 2C is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the bottle of Fig. 2A;

Fig. 3A is a side view of the bottle of Fig. 1A stacked in a stack; Fig. 3B is a front sectional view of the stack of Fig. 3A;

Fig. 3C is a front sectional view of a bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed in the deployed position thereof;

Fig. 3D is a front sectional view of a bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed in a folded position thereof;

Fig. 4A is a side view of a bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed in the deployed position;

Fig. 4B is a partially cut side perspective view of the bottle of Fig. 4A;

Fig. 4C is a partially cut side perspective view of the bottle of Fig. 4A;

Fig. 4D is a top perspective view of the bottle of Fig. 4A;

Fig. 5A is a side view of the bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed in the deployed position;

Fig. 5B is a partially cut side perspective view of the bottle of Fig. 5A;

Fig. 5C is a partially cut side perspective view of the bottle of Fig. 5A;

Fig. 5D is a top perspective view of the bottle in Fig. 5A

Fig. 6A is a side perspective view of a bottle, which is not part of the present invention, according to

with another example of the subject matter currently disclosed in the deployed position; Fig. 6B is a side perspective view of the bottle of Fig. 6A in the folded position;

Fig. 6C is a perspective view of the bottles of Fig. 6A stacked in a stack;

Fig. 7A is a side sectional view of a cover for a bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed;

Fig. 7B is a side sectional view of the cover of Fig. 7A having a filling pipe inserted therein;

Fig. 8A is a side sectional view of a cover for a bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed;

Fig. 8B is a side sectional view of the cover of Fig. 8A having a filling pipe inserted therein;

Fig. 9A is a side sectional view of a cover for a bottle according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed;

Fig. 9B is a side sectional view of the cover of Fig. 9A having a filling pipe inserted therein; Y

Fig. 10 is a side sectional view of cartridges with a stack of bottles arranged inside. Detailed description of achievements

Fig. 1 shows a bottle 10 having a side wall 12 configured to contain fluids, such as water. The side wall 12 includes a rigid portion 12a having an opening 15, and a flexible portion 12b, having a corresponding opening 17 coupled to the opening 15 of the rigid portion 12a, thus forming together a structure enclosed to contain fluids therein . The rigid portion 12a includes a neck portion 14 having a nozzle 16. The rigid portion 12a can be made of resin material such as plastic, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene terephthalate ( PET, PETE or polyester) Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), treated fluoride (HDPE), post consumer resin (PCR), K resin (SBC), bioplastics, etc.

The flexible portion 12b is configured to bend within the rigid portion 12a for example when the bottle 10 is empty, as explained below. The flexible portion 12b can be made of flexible thermoplastic materials, such as polyolefin, in particular PP, LDPe, LLDPE and PA, pVc, PMMA, or laminating sheets such as BOPP and POPET.

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

As more clearly shown in Fig. 1C, the flexible portion 12b can be coupled to the rigid portion 12a by welding the periphery of the opening 17 corresponding to an inner surface of the rigid portion 12a. The rigid portion 12a may include a skirt 19 arranged around the outer periphery of the opening 15, the lower part of which protrudes slightly outward. The periphery of the corresponding opening 17 of the flexible portion 12b is folded out and down and welded to the inner surface of the skirt 19. In this way, as shown in Figs. 2B to 2C, when the bottle is in the folded position the flexible portion 12b extends into the rigid portion 12a. The wall of the flexible portion 12b may be configured to be disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the wall of the rigid portion 12a.

On the other hand, when the bottle is in its deployed position, as shown in Figs. 1A to 1C, the flexible portion 12b extends downwardly from the opening 15 outside the rigid portion 12a thus occupying the inner volume of the bottle 10. Thus, the periphery of the corresponding opening 17 joins the inner periphery of the skirt 19, and the rest of the flexible portion 12b is free to extend outward.

According to the illustrated example, the rigid portion 12a is defined in the upper portion of the bottle 10, and the flexible portion 12a is defined in the lower portion thereof. To provide the bottle 10 with stability and to allow the bottle to remain straight in an upright position, the bottle is further provided with a support member fixed to the rigid portion 12a. According to the illustrated example, the support member 20 includes three legs 22, coupled to the rigid portion 12a. Although in the illustrated example the legs 22 extend from the skirt 19, it will be appreciated that the legs can be coupled to any other section of the rigid portion 12a.

The support structure 20 can be integrally formed with the rigid portion 12a or can be coupled thereto by welding, glue, etc. Alternatively, the support structure 20 may be a separate element that detachably joins the rigid portion 12a. For example, the support structure may be formed with the skirt 19 from which the legs 22 extend. The skirt 19 may include a ring portion 24 which is configured to be disposed on the outer periphery of the opening 15 of the rigid portion 12a . The diameter of the ring portion 24 is such that when it is arranged on the outer periphery the ring portion applies inner radial build forces thus maintaining the coupling between the support structure 20 and the rigid portion 12a.

The support structure 20 can be separated from the rigid portion 12b, the ring portion 24 of the rigid portion 12a being forcibly removed. In this way, the support structure can be removed by the user, for example, before discarding the bottle, and can be reused in another bottle.

According to an example, the support structure can be provided with a ring portion as described above, which can also be welded to the outer periphery of the opening 15 of the rigid portion 12a, thus providing the bottle with stability and stiffness. additional.

The bottle 10 may also be provided with a flange 21 defined around the outer circumference of the nozzle 16. The flange can be used to grip the bottle 10 by a robotic arm, as used in a vending machine. The robotic arm having a corresponding grip member can be used to raise the bottle 10 by inserting the grip member below the flange 21.

Referring now to Figs. 3A and 3B, a plurality of bottles 10 in the folded position can be stacked inside each other, while the flexible portion 12b of each extends into the rigid portion 12a thereof. To provide optimal space use, the rigid portion 12a includes a diameter that increases slightly and gradually from the neck portion 14 at one end of the rigid portion 12a to the opening 15 at the other end thereof. In this way a rigid portion 12b of a bottle can be disposed within the rigid portion of a consecutive bottle in the stack. Furthermore, to allow the support member 20 of a bottle to be disposed within the support member of the consecutive bottle, the legs 22 can be formed with some flexibility, obviously without compromising the stability thereof.

The flexible portion 12b may in the folded position extend within the rigid portion 12a, adjacent to the inner wall thereof so that a rigid portion of another bottle can slide freely in and out. Furthermore, to maximize the use of space when in the folded position, the flexible portion is made such that when the upper end thereof disposed within the rigid portion is disposed in the folded position it reaches the neck portion 14 of the bottle 10. In this way, the rigid portion of a first bottle in the stack can be disposed within the rigid portion of a second bottle with the nozzle 16 thereof reaching almost the neck portion of the second bottle.

Fig. 3C and 3D illustrate a bottle 25 constructed in accordance with another example of the subject matter currently disclosed. The bottle 25 includes a rigid portion 23 having an opening 23a, a flexible portion 26 having a corresponding opening 26a, and a support structure 27, substantially similar to those of the previous example. The flexible portion 26 according to this example is coupled to the rigid portion 23 by fastening it to the rigid portion together with the support structure 27. The support of the support structure 27 and the portion

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

60

65

flexible 26 to the rigid portion 23 can be carried out by a pressure coupling arrangement. The opening 23a of the rigid portion 23 may be provided with a coupling portion 29a defined around the circumference thereof and configured to receive therein a corresponding coupling portion 29b defined in the support structure 27. The coupling portion Corresponding 29b is configured for pressure coupling with the coupling portion 29a, thereby coupling the support structure 27 to the rigid portion 23. The circumference of the corresponding opening 26a of the flexible portion 26 is inserted between the coupling portion 29a and the corresponding coupling portion 29b, in this way when the coupling portions are snapped together, the flexible portion 26 is attached to the rigid portion. It is appreciated that the pressure coupling arrangement of the coupling portion 29a and the corresponding coupling portion 29b can be configured to provide an airtight seal arrangement between means. In this way, the rigid portion 23 and the flexible portion 26 together form an airtight container.

Fig. 4A to Fig. 4D illustrates a bottle 30 according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed. The bottle 30 is substantially similar to the bottle 10 of Figs. 1A to 2C, and includes a flexible portion 32 coupled to the rigid portion 34, and having a support structure 36. The support structure 36 according to this example it includes three legs 37, each extending from a ring portion 38 mounted on the rigid portion 34 and with an extension 39 defined at the lower end thereof. The extension 39 protrudes outwardly with respect to the bottle 30 and is configured to provide the support structure 36 and therefore the bottle with additional stability.

Figs. 5A to 5E illustrate a bottle 40 according to another example of the subject matter currently disclosed. The bottle 40 is substantially similar to the bottle 10 of Figs. 1A to 2C, and includes a flexible portion 42 coupled to the rigid portion 44, and having a support structure 46. The support structure 46 according to this example it includes three legs 47, each extending from a ring portion 48 mounted on the rigid portion 44 and coupled to a base member 43 disposed at the bottom of the bottle 40 below the flexible portion 42. It is appreciated that, of according to this example, since the base member 43 provides stability to the bottle 40, the legs 47 may be slightly thinner than those in the previous examples. In order to allow the bottles to be stacked inside each other, the base member may have the shape of a ring having a large slit 45 in the center thereof. The slit 45 has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the rigid portion 44 and the ring portion 48, thus allowing another bottle to be stacked within the bottle 40. Alternatively, the base member may be a separate element in that the bottle 40 is placed. For example, the base member 43 may include a seat (not shown) for the legs 47, so that when the bottle is used the legs 47 can be arranged in the seat and when desired Stack the bottles, the base member 43 is removed.

According to an example, the support structure may be a cylindrical member or conical member extending from the rigid portion to the lower end of the flexible portion, so that when it is in the unfolded position the container can be arranged in the upright position , supported by the cylindrical member or the conical member. The support member can be such that it separates from the rigid portion and can function as a seat for the container.

According to one example, the container can be a container assembly having a container and an independent support structure. The container includes a rigid wall and a flexible wall portion as described hereinbefore, the support structure may be any of the support structure described before or in this document below and may be configured as a separate element in the that the container can be arranged.

The base member 43 may further include a concave plate disposed substantially in the center thereof, and configured to hold the lower end 42a of the flexible portion 42 when in the deployed position. The lower end 42a of the flexible portion 42 may be round with a radius that is substantially similar to or smaller than that of the concave plate, to allow the flexible portion to be stably arranged in the base member 43.

Figs. 6A to 6C illustrate a bottle 50, which is not part of the present invention, in accordance with another example of the subject matter currently disclosed. The bottle 50 includes a flexible portion 52 coupled to a rigid portion 54, at one end thereof and to a rigid neck portion 56 at the other end thereof. According to this example, the flexible portion 52 is disposed in the upper portion of the bottle, although the rigid portion 54 is disposed in the lower portion thereof. This is in opposition to the previous examples, in which the rigid portion is disposed in the upper portion of the bottle while the flexible portion is disposed in the lower portion thereof.

According to this example, in the folded position, the flexible portion 52 is folded into the rigid portion 54 so that the neck portion 56 is disposed substantially at the bottom of the rigid portion. As shown in Fig. 6C a plurality of bottles 50 can be stacked inside one another by inserting the rigid portion of one bottle into that of another bottle while the flexible portion bends inside. The bottom

5

10

fifteen

twenty

25

30

35

40

Four. Five

fifty

55

of the rigid portion 54 of a first bottle can be disposed substantially on top of the neck portion of the second bottle into which it is stacked.

According to one example, the bottle can be provided with a filling valve (not shown), for example, at the bottom of the rigid portion 54. In this way, the bottle can be filled by an automatic filling system through of the valve, while the neck portion 56 may include a nozzle covered with a cap.

Referring now to Fig. 7A to 9B, to allow automatic filling of any one of the bottles described above, the nozzle cover may be provided with a filling valve. In Fig. 7A a bottle cap 60 is shown having a filling valve 62 in the form of a slit 64. A sealing disc 66 is disposed in the slit 64 and is mounted on the periphery thereof. The disk 66 includes a cut 67, for example, along the center thereof, which is configured to allow a filling pipe 68 to be inserted therein, as shown in Fig. 7B. When the pipe 68 is inserted through the cut 67, the disk 66 deforms and the area of the disk around the cut goes inward, thus allowing the insertion of the pipe into the bottle. When the pipe 68 is removed, the disk 66 is returned to its original shape where the cut is sealed by the adjacent sides of the disk. It is appreciated that the cut can be formed in perpendicular directions, thus facilitating the insertion of the pipe inside.

Figs. 8A and 8B illustrate another example of a bottle cap 70 having a fill valve 72 in the form of a slit 74. Similar to the previous examples, the valve 72 includes a sealing disc 76 disposed in the slit 74. Without However, according to this example the disk 76 is mounted on the two opposite sides on the periphery thereof, while on the other portions of the periphery of the slit 74 the disk 76 is free to deform inwards.

Figs. 9A and 9B illustrate a further example of a bottle cap 80 having a filling valve 82. According to this example the filling valve is in the form of a port 84 that has a sliding cover around it, as is known like a "sports cap" bottle. When port 84 is in its open position, rapid bottle filling can be carried out by coupling a filling pipe to port 84.

According to an example, the filling of the bottle can be carried out through a slit that extends through the rigid portion, for example, the nozzle of the bottle. The slit can be covered with a membrane that can break. The membrane is resiliently configured so that when it breaks, for example, by piercing with a filling needle through, the membrane goes to a broken state. When the filling needle is removed, the membrane returns to its original state without breaking, covering the hole formed by the needle.

Attention is now directed to the drawing of Fig. 10, which shows a stack of bottles 90 with a plurality of bottles 92, such as the bottle of Fig. 1a, which has a rigid portion 92a, a flexible portion 92b and a support structure in the form of legs 94 extending downwards. The stack 90 can be disposed in a cartridge 100 of a vending machine (not shown). The bottles are configured to be removed from the cartridge 100 by means of an extraction mechanism, which according to the illustrated example has the form of a helical spring 104 that rotates around its axis. The legs 94 include a slight outward extension 95, as described hereinbefore with respect to the extension 39 of the bottle 30 of Fig. 4. The helical spring 104 is configured to engage the extension of the bottle more bottom 92 in the cartridge 100 and rotating to make the bottle go down. To facilitate the extraction process, the extraction mechanism may be provided with a pair of helical springs 104 arranged on two substantially opposite sides of the cartridge 100 and configured to rotate simultaneously, thereby engaging the legs 94 of the bottle 92 and removing it from the cartridge. It is appreciated that the bottle may include other means, to allow its extraction, other than extensions 95. For example, the leg may include defined ridges along its length. In addition, it is appreciated that the extraction mechanism may include any other means for extracting the bottles from the stack 90, as is known.

Those skilled in the art to which the currently disclosed subject matter belongs will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (6)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 1. A container comprising: a rigid wall portion (12a) with an opening (15); a flexible wall portion (12b) having a corresponding opening (17) coupled to the opening of the rigid wall portion (12a), said flexible wall portion (12b) being sufficiently flexible to bend within the rigid wall portion (12a); Y a support member (20) coupled to said rigid wall portion (12a) configured to provide stability to the container; wherein said rigid wall portion (12a) and said flexible wall portion (12b) together form a structure configured to contain fluids; characterized in that said rigid wall portion (12a) is configured to stack inside a rigid wall portion (12a) of a second container while the flexible wall portion (12b) is in the folded position thereof. 2. The container according to claim 1 wherein said corresponding opening (17) of said flexible wall portion (12b) is welded to an inner surface of the rigid wall portion (12a). 3. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 2 wherein the rigid wall portion (12a) further comprises a skirt (19) disposed around the outer periphery of the opening (15) and with a lower portion protruding outward in which the periphery of the corresponding opening (17) of the flexible wall portion (12b) is folded out and down and welded to the inner surface of the skirt (19). 4. The container according to claim 1 wherein said rigid wall portion (12a) includes a diameter that gradually increases from a neck portion (14) thereof to said opening such that a rigid wall portion (12a) of a second container can be arranged inside. 5. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said support member (20) is configured to fasten said flexible wall portion (12b) to said rigid wall portion (12a). 6. The container according to claim 5 wherein said support member (20) includes a pressure coupling arrangement configured for coupling thereof to said rigid wall portion (12a).